Mel Kiper's highest-graded quarterbacks ever for the NFL draft: John Elway ranks first since 1979, Trevor Lawrence makes the top 10

I've been studying the NFL draft since 1979, and I've seen a lot of quarterbacks. Some great, some terrible. Some first-round picks who made the Hall of Fame, and some top-10 picks who were complete busts.

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So when I was asked recently where Clemson's Trevor Lawrence ranked among the highest-graded quarterbacks I've ever studied, I just said, "He's up there." I really wanted to dig in, though, and check his grade vs. the rest of mine over the past 40-plus years. What follows below are the top 10 quarterbacks on that list, based on my pre-draft grades. It doesn't reflect their NFL performance but rather where I had them rated the day before their respective drafts. 

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2021 NFL Mock Draft: Eagles roll dice on QB in Round 1, Dolphins target receiver at No. 3

This draft, like every other draft, is about the quarterbacks. Specifically: Which QB-needy team will move up -- and how far -- to get the player they've convinced themselves will be the face of the franchise for the next dozen years. Trevor Lawrence is going to Jacksonville -- that has felt like a done deal for months -- but things immediately get interesting after that. 

In this week's mock draft, we have the Jets, Falcons, Eagles and Lions selecting quarterbacks, which means five QBs are off the board in the first eight selections. Meanwhile, five wide receivers hear their names called while seven edge rushers find themselves among the first 32 picks.

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